Swords and religious chants: CJP's protest at Jantar Mantar already hijacked?
"Musalman Jai Shri Ram nahi bolte, Bharat Mata ki Jai nahi bolte," rang out a voice on a loudspeaker at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar at
"Musalman Jai Shri Ram nahi bolte, Bharat Mata ki Jai nahi bolte," rang out a voice on a loudspeaker at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar at around 10.30pm on Wednesday night. Within moments, sections of the crowd echoed it. Almost as quickly, the group on the loudspeaker responded with chants of "Nara-e-Takbir, Allahu Akbar", "Jai Shri Ram" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai". The sloganeering continued for several minutes as hundreds watched, some joining in, others recording the spectacle on their mobile phones. Read Full Story Barely a few metres from the Jantar Mantar — near Tolstoy Marg — around the same time stood Nihangs, members of the Sikh warrior order, holding swords, ceremonial kirpans and long spears in front of Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel. Some of them raised their weapons in the air as a flex, while others posed for photographs. The display drew applause from some in the crowd of protesters. If people arrived at Jantar Mantar without the prior knowledge as to why the protesters had gathered there, it would be difficult for them to guess that this was an agitation over the NEET-UG paper leak and that the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was among the demands. India Today Digital has been reporting from the ground from the very first day of the protest when Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke landed there on June 6. We have seen the interest build and footfall increase as activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike progressed. But the scene at the protest site at Jantar Mantar has changed dramatically after July 20, when a march to Parliament was foiled by the alleged use of excessive force. Such has been the change that it no longer seems to be a protest by the CJP. The protest has grown and the CJP leadership seems no longer in control. There is a real risk of the protest already being hijacked, if it hasn't already been. Lieutenant General Satish Dua (retired), who spearheaded the planning of the Uri surgical strike against Pakistani terrorists in 2016, on Thursday highlighted that concern. "...A vacuum in communication allows an otherwise peaceful, issue-based youth protest to be hijacked by outside elements seeking to exploit the situation. What began as a protest in Delhi is now spreading nationwide," General Dua posted on Instagram. A YouTuber was brutally thrashed and almost lynched on Wednesday night and on Thursday, protesters clashed with a group of Nihangs at Jantar Mantar.
Then there is the regular heckling of Delhi Police and RAF personnel on duty. The security personnel are showing unusual restraint after facing backlash over the July 20 action. It seems the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar is a powder keg that can explode with just one spark. CJP PROTEST WAS UNIFIED BECAUSE OF SONAM WANGCHUK On the very first day, the scattered nature of the protest was visible. But it was a small gathering and could be managed. Any semblance of order emerged only after the arrival of educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk. The scattered crowd came to listen to him as he addressed the gathering. The designated protest site in the national capital has been occupied for weeks by the Dipke-founded CJP and, all through, Wangchuk has been the magnet. What initially drew a scattered group of protesters gradually transformed into a national movement after Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike. Wangchuk's presence gave the agitation something it had previously lacked — a unifying face that people could identify. Students travelled from different states. Volunteers managed the crowds. Doctors monitored Wangchuk's health while visitors lined up to express solidarity. Wangchuk was forcibly removed from Jantar Mantar and taken to a hospital on July 18. While Wangchuk was on the stage, the focus remained firmly on education, examination reforms and government accountability. Today, with Wangchuk away, that focus is increasingly difficult to identify. ONE PLACE, MANY GROUPINGS, ALL UNORGANISED Walk beyond the CJP's main stage occupied by Dipke and his aides Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, and the protest begins to look like several demonstrations unfolding at the same venue. Different groups gather in clusters, each raising their own slogans. Some discuss educational reforms, while others debate unrelated political issues and communal angles. Several participants appear to have arrived simply because the protest has become a focal point of public anger. The further one moves from the main stage of Jantar Mantar, the less visible the organisers become. That shift became particularly evident after the July 20 "Chalo Sansad" march of the CJP. The police action during the march, including the use of lathis and tear gas, dramatically expanded public participation. Thousands who had never visited Jantar Mantar before arrived over the next couple of days, expressing anger over the crackdown rather than only on the issue of the examination itself. The swelling crowds brought fresh energy to the movement.
The BriefWire